#Welcome, new rockhounds!
4 messages in this thread
Hello! We in this forum section include a wide variety of earth science
interests, from professional to novice hobbyists. Here you will find
collectors of minerals, fossils, rocks, and so on, with lapidaries, geologists,
teachers, and more. We have been trading information and specimens. We are
looking for new participants!
If you do not find any topics on this message board that sound like your
interests, read them all anyway. Due to wandering conversations, at times you
would have found fluorescent minerals discussed in the 'turtle fossils' topic,
radioactive minerals discussed in the 'rockhound forum' topic, and other
surprises. Feel free to jump into any discussion with questions or comments –
if we did not want other people joining in, we would use private E-mail.
Whether or not you find people sharing your interests, post a message
introducing yourself. Tell us what subjects you are interested in, what you
might like to learn/buy/sell/trade, and where you are. Someone you do not see
here may answer; that is how this recent burst of activity started! Or one of
us may know something about your field that does not show in the other
messages. Don't make it a reply to this message (let's try to keep one topic
name honest!); start a new topic hinting at your field of interest.
If you find this group too small to be of much interest, stick around and be
active anyway! We just got the snowball rolling in late August '92, and like
to think that there are many potential new members out there. Your activity may
attract more passers-by, especially those who share your interests more closely
than we do.
At present, messages are lasting roughly 6-8 days on this message board, though
there was one time when messages lasted only 3-4 days.
In this section's library 12 you will find mineral databases, rockhounding
documents, and trade/sale lists.
Hi Doug,
This is my first attempt at a reply. I am a middle school earth science
teacher with a developing interest in rocks and minerals – actually it's a
continuing interest. I'd like to hear about othert people's experiences in
hunting out mines – especially in western Maine. Thanks. Mary Liscombe
Mary::
welcome to the Forum…I think you will find some interesting folks here,
especially in section #12 where Doug is leading a very active group. I hope you
will become an active, contributing member. Let your class join in!!! Bring
your computer to class, and perhaps several of the Geology members can get
involved in a real-time conference with your students. We have an area in our
conference room dedicated to GEOLOGY…your students type … hit the carriage
return … their message flashes across the screens of whomever is in the area
at the same time, and in seconds you will have an answer flashing across yours!
Rick Needham/SYSOP
Hi, Mary–
Welcome to the forum!
Your students may indeed enjoy conferencing in the forum as Rick suggests, but
I suggest you arrange a time/date with someone first, and make sure you are
using no more than 2400 bps modem speed when conferencing.
Recently I saw a live message whiz by on my screen during a fully-automated
visit using OzCIS. I did not get a good look at it, seeing it only because I
was not using a high modem speed, and OzCIS had logged me off before I could
react. With faster reactions, I could have told it to go manual before
leaving, but then I would have to remember the raw CIS commands for answering.
As one who mostly learned CIS using CIM and OzCIS, that is no mean task, and
the CIS menus are shut off for OzCIS. After finding the message in the files
OzCIS was capturing, I reconnected using CIM, where I knew how to answer, but
the sender had apparently left (that was you "Tish", if you are watching) by
then. Many others may be making automated visits and/or be unfamiliar with
conferencing, so be prepared to be "ignored" by many. Many of the amateur
rockhounds who hang out here visit only during the evenings, as is usually the
case with me; during the school day you might be able to raise a pro geologist.
You might want to let your students ask questions here on the message board
using your account; we have had teachers do that before. There is less instant
gratification, as it may be days before an answer appears, but you are more
likely to get an answer from someone with specific knowledge of the matter, and
it is cheaper if you do most of the writing and reading off-line. I am ready
to CISmail you my writeup on efficient forum message board visits if you are
unfamiliar with forums.
My own favorites are fluorescent minerals. Have you checked whatever you have
collected to date with UV lamps? Since a battery-operated UV lamp about the
size of a flashlight can now be bought for ~$35, you may find that an easy way
to capture your students' interest in subjects mineralogical. What sort of
rocks/minerals do you most like to find?
Now I think I will sit back and wait to see how long before Jerry reacts to
mention of Maine and mines in the same sentence.
–Doug